Inking device



Jan. 4, 1938. D. HoPPr-:NSTAND 2,104,396 INKING DEVICE,

Filed Feb. 11, 1935 flgl.

noo

Patented `ian. 4, 1938 Ni'l'EgD STATES rara orgies INKING DEVICE Application February 11, 1935, Serial No. 6,000

6 Claims.

My invention relates to inking devices and, in particular, to a device for inking the printing `ribbon of typewriting and similar machines.

I have observed that printing ribbons are 5 rendered useless by the removal of most of the ink with which they are impregnated in manufacture, or by drying out, in use, long before the fabric of the ribbon has worn materially. An object of my invention, therefore, is to provide means for renewing the ink content of the ribbon during use, In accordance with my invention, l provide an ink container adapted to be carried on the housing which usually encloSes the ribbon reel of a typewriting or other similar machine, a roller adapted to receive ink from the container and deliver it to the ribbon, and means for forcing the ink from the container onto the roller.

The manner in which I realize the foregoing and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, will be explained in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, the novel features of which will be specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the invention applied to one of the usual' ribbon reel housings of the ordinary typewriter;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line IVIV of Fig. 3; i

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View along the line VI--VI of Fig. 2;

Fig. 'l is a view similar to Fig. 6 with certain parts omitted for the sake of clearness, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing a portion only of the device, to enlarged scale.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the invention comprises an ink container, preferably in the form of a cylinder I0. The Side wall of the cylinder i is slit at Il to provide an outlet for the ink. A protuberance I2 from the base i3 of the cylinder, adjacent the opening Il, has a pin ifi threaded thereinto. A roller l is journaled on the pin and the latter also serves to retain in position, a cup i6 carried on the protuberance i2 and overlying'the pin and roller, as well as the slit. The sides of the cup have slots Il for guiding the ribbon into contact with the roller, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5.

I prefer to supply ink to the ribbon only when it is moving toward the printing position, and

not when it is being wound up on the reel after passing such position, although, if desired, one of the devices may be attached by means to be described shortly to each of the reel housings, so

that the ribbon will be inked when moving in either direction. To this end the bottom of the roller l5 is provided with a cam recess i3 adapted to cooperate with a stop pin i9 projecting upwardly through the protuberance i2 and a notch in the bottom of the cup i6. By this means, the roller is permitted to turn in one direction by reason of the frictional engagement of the ribbon therewith, but is prevented from turning in the opposite direction.

The upper end of the cylinder l0 is closed by a sleeve 2l] threaded thereinto and extending downwardly thereof, with a plug 2'2 screwed therein. A felt strip 23 extends around the sleeve 20 and substantially lls the space between the sleeve and the cylinder. The sleeve has a flange 24 which serves to hold in place a ring 25 having a depending clip 26, by which the device may be attached to a ribbon reel housing as indicated at 2l' in Fig. l. In the latter, the reel is shown at 28 and its actuating spindle at 29. The housing carries a guide pulley 3i] about which the ribbon is trained onto the reel.

A piston 3| is slidable in the cylinder I0 and has projections 32 adapted to slide in grooves in the cylinder wall, indicated at 33. Rotation of the piston in the cylinder is thus prevented.

A feed screw 34 is journaled in the plug 22 and is threaded through the piston. A knurled knob 35 is secured to the upper end of the screw which also carries a pointer 36 adapted to cooperate with scale markings on the periphery of the plug, to indicate the position of the piston on the screw. The edge of the plug is also knurledto facilitate removal thereof for the purpose of lling the cylinder with ink.

.l-Ioles 3l in the sleeve 2E permit the ink to flow from the container lll into the felt 23 through which it moves by capillary attraction to the point of removal, viz., the point at which the roller I5 engages the felt through the slot or opening ll.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the invention provides a simple, inexpensive, compact yet effective device for re-inking typewriter or other printing ribbons in use. The mode of operation will be self evident. The container is filled with ink by removal of the plug and piston. On replacement of the plug and piston and advancement of thelatter by tuining the feed screw, the ink which is of a somewhat thick or pasty consistency, is forced into the felt through the holes 3l. As before stated, the felt delivers the ink by capillary attraction to the point where it is removed therefrom by the roller l5. The pointer 36 always indicates the amount of ink remaining in the container.

The pointer 3S will easily serve to show the position of the piston if the number of graduations agrees with the number of turns of the screw required fully to advance the piston. After each turn of the screw the pointer can be stopped on the next succeeding graduation, thus showing the position to which the piston has been advanced.

rPhe device requires no special tools for installation, nor, indeed, any changes whatever in the construction of the machine to which it is attached, since it is merely secured in place by the grip exerted by the clip 25. The cam, surface I8' on the bottom of the roller l5 causes the latter to reciprocate axially as it rotates, thereby more veifectively distributing the ink from the felt onto the ribbon.

While I have illustrated and described herein but one present preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious that many changes therein may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A web inking device comprising a cylinder, a sleeve extending thereinto, a piston rcciprocable in said sleeve, an opening in the wall of the cylinder, a roller journaled for rotation thereadjacent, guides for directing the web around the roller, a brous filling between the sleeve and cylinder adapted to be engaged by the roller through said opening, and openings in the sleeve for feeding ink therefrom to said filling.

2. A web nking device comprising an inking roller, a reservoir disposed adjacent thereto adapted to feed ink to the roller for delivery to a web moving therepast, and means to prevent reverse rotation of the roller on reversal of said web.

3. In a web-inking device, a roller adapted to be engaged by the web, means for supplying ink to the roller, and means for moving the roller axially as it rotates.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 characterized by said last-mentioned means effecting reciprocation of the roller.

5. A ribbon inking device comprising a cylinder, a roller journaled adjacent thereto adapted to be engaged by the ribbon, a sleeve in the cylinder, wick means between the sleeve and roller, and a piston reciprocable in the sleeve adapted to force ink from the sleeve onto said means through passages in the sleeve.

6. In an ink supply device for a typing mechanism including a writing ribbon, the combination of a container for ink having a discharge orifice through which ink is discharged for transfer to said ribbon, means for applying pressure to the ink in said container for forcing the same through said orice for transfer to said ribbon7 and a porous member disposed within said container and extending across and obstructing said orifice and through which the ink under pressure is forced before leaving said orifice for controlling the discharge of ink through said orifice.

DAVID HOPPENSTAND. 

